Hamden Business and Community Expo to feature singing competition, help for vets

Published 5:06 pm, Tuesday, April 5, 2016

HAMDEN >> This year’s Hamden Regional Chamber of Commerce Business and Community Expo will offer more than just a glimpse of the area’s business community — it will include help for veterans and even auditions for a singing competition.

It’s the 12th year the chamber has held the event, according to its president, Nancy Dudchik, and the April 20 event will be one of the largest in the area. It starts at 12:30 p.m. with more than 80 vendors advertising services and offering things such as health screenings, she said.

New are the auditions that will take place for Can U Sing, a competition that brings singers from around the country to compete for prizes. One of its stops this year will be the expo, where hopefuls can perform for the judges from 1 to 3 p.m. Anyone 9 and older is eligible to participate, and singers can sing solo or in a group; only a capella singing is allowed for the audition. The winner chosen that day will win a prize and move on to a regional competition.

The cost to audition is $10, which goes to the production of the organization’s “Stand Up and Speak Out to Anti-Bullying PSA Musical.” To register, email Jill Nesi at jillnesi@aol.com with your name, age and phone number. Registration also will be available the day of the expo.

“I started Can U Sing back in 2013 and it’s very similar to the “American Idol”-type format where we have contestants audition and we have a panel of judges who give the contestants feedback,” Nesi said. They audition a capella — they can’t have any music in the background — and if they go on to win the final showcase, they can have music backtrack.

Among the judges is Nick Fradiani Sr., the father of “American Idol” winner Nick Fradiani Jr. and a musician in his own right.

Each year Nesi has held the Can U Sing competition, proceeds have benefited a cause, including efforts to battle pediatric cancer and breast cancer. This year they chose anti-bullying, Nesi said, and she has been surprised by feedback.

“You wouldn’t believe how many people are passionate about this topic,” she said.

They are producing the musical with the anti-bullying message with the help of Greg Noble, a Tony Award-winning Broadway producer, Nesi said.

Another focus of the expo will be on veterans, Dudchik said. The VA Connecticut Healthcare System will have representatives there to provide information about the services offered to veterans. The organization Save a Suit will be accepting donations of men’s and women’s suits, accessories and general clothing that will help support veterans, especially those getting back into the workforce.

Many of the vendors at the expo also will have special offers and discounts for veterans, Dudchik said. For kids, Home Depot will be sponsoring a Kid’s Corner Workshop, and there also will be an interactive youth soccer zone.

The expo runs to 4:30 p.m. and will be followed by a business networking event from 5 to 7 p.m. There, 17 restaurants and six Connecticut breweries will be serving samples, along with the Wine Press of North Haven. The businesses will be competing in the Best Bites and Brew contest, Dudchik said, and this year there is a category added for desserts.